Keeping Up With The Joneses: All The August Soccer!

August is the start of school and also the start to the Fall soccer season. Since the Spring season was pretty much scrapped the kids have been back on the fields all summer working up to the start of Fall season. It's ironic that part of the Fall soccer season starts in August because the temperature is far from feeling like Fall! Here are some soccer photos from the entire month of August...

the good and the unfortunate.

First up we have Bryce. Bryce played the most games in August. Bryce has been playing awesome and has had some incredible saves. His team is now playing the Select level so from here on out he probably won't be seeing any field playing time. In the past it was rather easy to let him get a little field time in, but since his main position is keeper, he will only be playing keeper. Keepers have a crazy practice schedule. Not only does Bryce go to team practice...T, W and TH. He also goes to keeper practices on M,W, TH. So while his teammates go home after practice, he heads to his second practice of the night. This is a lot of soccer on top of school, but he handles it well. Of course if he has a lot of school work to be finished we adjust the schedule since school comes first.

*****

Now we move on to Sydney. She had the least amount of games in the month of August. There's a reason for that. This is where our unfortunate news comes into play. Sydney's team played in a preseason tournament. I missed the first game because I was at Ellie's birthday. I was excited to make it to the second game because this was my first time seeing her back in an official game. My mom came and Bryan made it to the game too after coaching volleyball most of the day.

Here Sydney is about to be subbed in.

She's making some plays and looks good.

Doesn't she look good?! Knee is protected in a custom sport brace, her muscles are back and strong. And a few plays later...

THIS happens.

Sydney went in for a ball, the girl leaned in on Sydney to try and block her and sadly Sydney's right knee took a hard hit. Next thing you know Sydney is on the ground holding her knee. I literally lost my breath and teared up as I saw her on the ground crying. I'm pretty sure I cussed a few times (sorry Mom). I remember my mom saying, "No. Oh no!". and Bryan telling me to go out on the field (parents never go on the field) and then another mom telling me to go. I ran to my girl; she was crying and said, "It feels just like last time". This broke my heart and also worried me. Her coach gently moved her knee/leg to test it before we tried to move her. Bryan said that when they were working on her knee he felt light headed and had to sit down. None of us could believe this was happening again. A year and 5 days from the last injury.

Long story short. We got Sydney off the field. Her coach and the trainer felt like it could be a meniscus or MCL injury. Oddly enough this is what everyone thought last time too. So off to the doctor we went early the next week to get an MRI ordered. Before the MRI was ordered her doctor said he felt like she had torn the ACL. Sydney said from the get go it was the ACL. I was holding out hope she had a torn MCL or meniscus or better yet a bad sprain; however the MRI showed our girl had now torn her right ACL. After everything she went through last year with the left ACL this was heartbreaking news; especially since this is Sydney's Senior year. So, surgery was set and another ACL recovery to do.

*****

Now we move on to Jordyn. Her team played in a preseason tournament, which they won. They also played their first two National League (NL) soccer games. They won the first game and sadly lost the second game. In the first game Jordyn played the best I have ever seen her play. She was on fire! She even scored a goal, which for those that don't know is rare for her because she is mainly a defender. She spanked a ball from just outside the 18 and it rocketed into the back off the net. It was awesome!

Here are the Georgia Impact 05G Elites at their first National League game. Such a great group of girls!

Here is Jordyn just before she scored. After a corner kick the ball was popped outside the box. Jordyn came running in to the ball (her coach was telling her to get it up towards one of the girls near the goal so they could pop it in). Instead she spanked the ball, which flew into the net. Her coach was like...that works too.